About Us

Our non-profit began two years ago as a partnership with The Kianh Foundation providing special education, physical therapy and healthcare services to children with disabilities at a government-run orphanage in Hoi An, Vietnam. We ran successful programs there until 2010. We are now serving the greater community. In conjunction with The Kianh Foundation, we currently operate a Pilot Program providing special education and physical therapy to twenty-seven children with disabilities in Dien Ban, Vietnam.

Most of the children in our program have either never been in school or were rejected after failing their first year. If a child cannot succeed in a government school in Dien Ban, his or her educational choices become almost non-existent. The Mulligan Project (TMP) offers children with disabilities a tailored program where they can maximize their mental and physical potential. With our programs, the children are thriving. They matter. Children have learned to walk. Children have learned sign language. These are major milestones they could not reach before coming to us.

WHY DO SO MANY CHILDREN IN CENTRAL VIETNAM HAVE A DISABILITY?

Dien Ban has one of the highest proportions of disabled and disadvantaged children in Central Vietnam. It is widely supported that the staggering numbers are due in part to the heavy spraying of defoliants that Dien Ban endured during the war with the United States. Approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides were sprayed on Vietnam between 1962-1971. There are numerous studies into the effects of exposure to dioxins, such as those found in Agent Orange, on health and the environment. These studies indicate increased risks of genetic disorders, birth defects, cancers, low birth weight and damage to reproductive systems can result from prolonged dioxin exposure. Although the war ended over forty years ago, Agent Orange can still be found in the water and food supply today. Someone once said, "It isn't news if it happens everyday." Everyday in Dien Ban a child goes unattended, uneducated and uncared for simply because he or she has a disability. It gets very little attention in the U.S.

We are pleased that the U.S has recently pioneered a cleanup of Agent Orange in Central Vietnam addressing this critical and overdue issue. Read more. . . .